Glasshouse



R. RITTER GLASSHOUSE Aug. 21, 1934.

Filed Jan. 6, 1933 Jnverzzar:

W SitiOIl b1- Patented Aug. 21, 1934 UNITED STATES GLASSHOUSE Robert Bitter, Bourtzwiller, Haut-Rhin, France Application January 6,

1933, Serial No. 650,454

In Germany January 16, 1932 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to glasshouses and similar constructions, which have to be aerated such as for instance greenhouses in which the roof and side panels may be moved for the purl H pose of completely freeing the space bounded by said roof and sides, as also for allowing easy admission within the construction and for transformation of the soil into open plantation.

Glasshouses having swinging roof panels are known, the intention being generally to secure an aeration, without however allowing the exposure of cultures and plants to warm rain and to dew. This type of glasshouses comprises therefore a rigid framework for sustaining the roof panels, said framework remaining in place when the roof portions are opened. Furthermore, the cable arrangements which operate the opening and closing of the roof panels and which are repeated at short distances constitute an en- 2n cumbrance for working within the greenhouse. In

such greenhouses, owing to the partial interconnections within the free space, the planting with open land plantations presents consider-able difflculties and furthermore, a thorough mechanical treatment of the soil cannot be performed. Moreover, it has been experienced that the frame construction remaining over the planting surface caused detrimental dripping.

These drawbacks have been eliminated by the present invention. By the fact that in the new construction the roof panels, in the closed position, are sustained by each other, no particular frame construction is required for sustaining said roof portions at the gable sides.

In the accompanying drawing is illustrated:

Fig. 1 an end view of a single glasshouse unit;

Fig. 2 illustrates on a smaller scale an end view of a multiple unit installation.

The glasshouse comprises a variable number of uprights a corresponding to the required dimensions, and intermediate said uprights the glazed roof panels b are rotatably arranged upon the girders .c which connect the single rows of uprights. Parallel to these girders are mounted the continuous shaftsd which are provided at the outer front side with an appropriate driving device, such as for instance a hand crank e, a

toothed gear 1, a chain 9, a chain wheel h and toothed gears i and k.

Upon said shaft are winding cables I provided in a convenient number and connected to the roof panels; by rotation of the said shaft d, the roof panels are lifted until they occupy the'po- An elastic absorber m, for instance .in the shape of a bent spring leaf constitutes abutment. I

In the construction of a multiple unit installation (Fig. 2), a driving device as described acts simultaneously for the lifting of two adjacent roof sides.

As supporting frame member 0 for the roof panels will be advantageously used a horizontal U-iron having its flanges turned up and in which the bottom parts of the roof panels made in the shape of U- or L-irons are engaged. The U-iron 0 simultaneously acts as a drip gutter.

The mutually sustained roof panels form at the top side a tight joint by the fact that for instance the top portion of one roof panel is formed :76 with an L- or T-iron and the other in the shape of a U-iron.

When the greenhouse is only to be slightly aerated, the roof panels b are lifted for a small angle, so that at the top edge a longitudinal opening is formed through which accumulated hot air may escape from the greenhouse.

The uprights a may be connected with respect to each other by means of wires or cables.

In order to preserve the driving shaft and the :80 gear transmission against the atmospheric influences, the latter may be also mounted underneath the girder c. In this case, the cable Z will be guided at the top portion of the uprights a over a guiding roller and through a hole in the girder c.

The roof panel b proper will be built for a given greenhouse either in one combined element or made from smaller parts, which furthermore may be used separately as ordinary forcing frames.

The gable side will be closed by means of glazed door panels 7 (Fig. 2), which rotate about the uprights a.

i claim:

1. A glasshouse comprising rows of uprights erected at a distance from each other, horizontal U-shaped frame members connecting the uprights and having their flanges turned upwards, glazed roof panels rotatably supported at their lower edges by means of projecting flanges engagingthe flanges of said frame members, the arrangement being such that the roof panels freely sustain each other at their top edge portions by means of inter-engaging flange-like projections,

and means for swinging the roof panels about 5 their bottom edges.

2. A glasshouse comprising rows of uprights erected at a distance from each other, horizontal U-shaped frame members connecting the uprights and having their flanges turned upwards, glazed 1-110 row, winding cables connecting said shaft to the upper portions of the adjacent glazed roof panels, and a driving device comprising a crank handle journalled in an upright, a gear, an endless chain, a chain wheel, and gears for rotating the shaft substantially as set forth.

ROBERT BITTER. 

